- Nous has a knack for signing excellent tracks from relatively unknown artists. Just look at the Berlin-based label's last compilation EP, 2016's #3. It featured the killer "Spring Ballade," from a then unknown Anastasia Kristensen, a tribal techno slammer from the low-profile Dreams and striking vinyl debuts from Ayln and Mauvais Art. Two of these artists return on the label's new compilation, which was originally a Rush Hour exclusive for last year's ADE.
Ayln opens the release with the coolly syncopated "Translinguistic," while Dreams closes with the glowering "What We Become." Both tracks recall Bristolian soundsystem techno—the former isn't miles away from Asusu, the latter could be Kowton-meets-Ploy—as well as UK-loving Euro techno institutions like Ilian Tape. They set the tone for the record, on which a spread of lesser-known artists explore syncopated grooves, heads-down moods and DJ-friendly arrangements with the occasional flash of flair.
To continue the comparison game, D104's inky "Muta" is a bit like Forest Drive West in tribal techno mode. Debutant Agxp goes for a softer mood on "Spells," whose lilting rhythm is offset with divebombing bass, while Sweat's "Shalbatana" livens droning technoid hypnosis with unexpectedly bright chord stabs. In the middle, Gaunt—of Beneath's Mistry label—releases this simmering tension on "Univers Univers." Save for the occasional skip in its grubby house step, it's rhythmically straighter than the others, but its layers of swirling atmosphere build to a surprisingly intense climax.
TracklistA1 Ayln - Translinguistics
A2 D104 - Muta
A3 Agxp - Spells
B1 Gaunt - Univers Univers
B2 Sweat - Shalbatana
B3 Dreams - What We Become